The Tale of Despereaux

The Tale of Despereaux is a feast for catechists, and for those who teach character education.

My time is short right now, so I cannot do it justice, but it is quite sophisticated in terms of themes. It may seem a bit “dark” but traditionally, “fairy tales” are very dark. What Despereaux has going for it is that it deals with grief and its influence on people, what loneliness and misunderstanding can lead people to do, and how love, courage, and kindness can bring us to reconciliation.

I think the film could be at least 15 minutes shorter (even though it is only 90 mins.) but I found it touching, wonderfully animated (yes, those ears made me think of Dumbo! and the ‘soup’, ‘rodents’ reminded me of Ratatouille), and full of heart and humanity.